Product ordering device

ABSTRACT

There is provided a product ordering system for supplying products from a production source to a plurality of dealers, according to an order in which the orders are placed. The product ordering system includes estimated sales quantity-setting means  7  for setting an estimated sales quantity of the products to be sold during a predetermined time period, for each of the dealers, upper limit value-setting means  12  for setting an upper limit value LN, for each of the dealers, according to the set estimated sales quantity and a predetermined coefficient P, ordering means  16  for placing orders for products from the dealers with the production source, cumulative order quantity-calculating means  15  for calculating a cumulative order quantity CN during the predetermined time period, for each of the dealers, and order quantity-limiting means  15  for limiting orders for products in excess of the limit value LN by the dealer, by comparing the calculated cumulative order quantity CN and the upper limit value LN with each other.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a product ordering system for supplyingproducts from a production source to a plurality of dealers in responseto orders requesting supply of the products, which are placed by theplurality of dealers.

BACKGROUND ART

In a conventional product ordering system of the aforementioned kind,products are generally supplied from a production source to dealersaccording to the order in which the orders are place by the dealers.This product ordering system is advantageous in that it is possible tomaintain fairness between dealers since products are supplied accordingto the order in which the orders are placed by the dealers and at thesame time enhance dealers' willingness to sell the products since theearlier the dealers place orders, the earlier they can obtain productsfor sale, which leads to enhanced sales performance.

However, in the above conventional product ordering system, products aresimply supplied in order of ordering, and hence so-called speculativeorders are liable to be placed with a view to securing products, whichcan cause partially concentrated supply of products to some of thedealers. Depending on the product production capacity, there is a fearof increased delivery times of products to be supplied to the otherdealers. In particular, when the products are automotive vehicles of anew model to be put on the market, orders therefor start to be acceptedbefore the start of the sale thereof in order to enable the productionof the new model to be boosted to cope with initial orders. On the otherhand, dealers intend to secure as many vehicles as possible expectingorders from their customers since they are vehicles of a new-model. As aresult, a large number of orders are apt to concentrate on the first dayof receiving orders.

Under such circumstances, when the vehicles are dispatched to dealers inorder of ordering, ones including many for speculative orders aredispatched at early times to dealers who placed their orders earlier,whereas the dispatching to the other dealers who placed their orderslater is largely delayed. This causes an uneven dispatch of vehicles tothe dealers, which is far from actual sales conditions. As a result,after the vehicles are on the market, some of the dealers have a largestock of the vehicles whose buyers are not determined for a long time,whereas in other dealers, although buyers of vehicles have already beendetermined, delivery times thereof are very long. This makes itimpossible for the dealers as a whole to increase actual sales and thenumber of registered vehicles.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the aboveproblems, and an object thereof is to provide a product ordering systemwhich is capable of properly limiting orders placed by dealers, withoutimpairing dealers' willingness to sell, while preventing partiallyconcentrated supply of products to some of the dealers, thereby makingit possible to make uniform and shorten delivery times for the dealersas a whole.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

To attain the above object, the present invention provides a productordering system for supplying products from a production source to aplurality of dealers in response to orders requesting supply of theproducts, which are placed by the plurality of dealers, according to anorder in which the orders are placed, comprising estimated salesquantity-setting means for setting in advance an estimated salesquantity of the products to be sold during a predetermined time period,for each of the dealers, upper limit value-setting means for setting anupper limit value of an order quantity during the predetermined timeperiod, for each of the dealers, according to the set estimated salesquantity and a predetermined coefficient, ordering means for placing theorders for the products from the plurality of dealers with theproduction source, cumulative order quantity-calculating means forcalculating a cumulative order quantity during the predetermined timeperiod, for each of the dealers, based on the orders placed by theordering means, and order quantity-limiting means for limiting ordersfor the products in excess of the limit value by the dealer, bycomparing the calculated cumulative order quantity and the upper limitvalue with each other.

According to this product ordering system, products are supplied from aproduction source to a plurality of dealers according to an order inwhich the orders are placed. Further, according to the product orderingsystem of the present invention, an estimated sales quantity of theproducts to be sold during a predetermined time period is set inadvance, for each of the dealers, and an upper limit value of an orderquantity is set according to the estimated sales quantity and apredetermined coefficient. Further, a cumulative order quantity placedby each dealer during the predetermined time period is calculated basedon the orders placed by the dealer with the production source. Then, theorder quantity-limiting means compares the cumulative order quantity andthe upper limit value with each other, and limits orders for theproducts in excess of the upper limit value placed by the dealer.

As described above, in the product ordering system according to thepresent invention, orders placed by the dealers are not unconditionallyaccepted, but orders for the products in excess of the upper limit valueare subject to limitation. This makes it possible to prevent partiallyconcentrated supply of products to some of the dealers, thereby makingit possible to make uniform and shorten delivery times of products,especially those in a great demand, such as new products and popularproducts, for the dealers as a whole. Further, the upper limit value isset using the estimated sales quantity set by each dealer, as aparameter, which prevents inhibition of willingness of the dealer tosell the products, and further, since the predetermined coefficient isused as a parameter, it is possible to properly limit orders placed bythe dealers, while reflecting sales performance thereon. Further, sincethe upper limit value set as described above is compared with acumulative order quantity placed by the dealer, it is possible toproperly and flexibly limit orders placed by the dealer, whilereflecting actual sales conditions of the dealer, thereon.

Preferably, in the product ordering system as claimed in claim 1, theupper limit value-setting means sets the upper limit value as an upperlimit value for a second predetermined time period within thepredetermined time period, the second predetermined time period beingshorter than the predetermined time period, and the cumulative orderquantity-calculating means calculates a cumulative order quantity duringthe second predetermined time period, the order quantity-limiting meanslimiting orders for the products in excess of the limit value during thesecond predetermined time period.

According to this construction, the setting of the upper limit value andlimitation of orders are carried out with reference to a secondpredetermined time period shorter than the predetermined time period forwhich the estimated sales quantity is set. Therefore, even when anactual sales quantity exceeds the estimated sales quantity, or inverselyeven when the estimated sales quantity exceed an actual sales quantity,it is possible to supply products in a manner suited to actual salesconditions, by flexibly coping with either of the above cases.

Preferably, the product ordering system as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprises product information-storing means for storing informationconcerning types of products, and the predetermined coefficient is setfor each of the stored types of products.

The popularity of products and demand therefor are varied depending ontypes thereof, and orders from the dealers are liable to concentrate onpopular products. According to the present invention, the predeterminedcoefficient for setting the upper limit value is set for each type ofproducts, and therefore, e.g. by setting the predetermined coefficientto smaller values for products for which orders from the dealersconcentrate, such as popular products and new models, to therebyseverely limit orders for the same, it is possible to finely andappropriately limit orders for products depending on the types thereof.

Preferably, the product ordering system as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprises suppliable quantity-setting means for setting a suppliablequantity of the products to be supplied during a unit time period,according to a product production capacity of the production source, andthe predetermined coefficient is set to a larger value as the setsuppliable quantity is larger.

The suppliable quantity of products to be supplied to the dealers isdifferent depending on the product production capacity of the productionsource, and as the product production capacity is larger, the degree towhich the orders from the dealers can be complied with becomes higher.Therefore, according to the present invention, as the suppliablequantity of products dependent on the product production capacity islarger, the predetermined coefficient is set to a larger value, for morerelaxed limitation on orders by the upper limit value, whereby thelimitation of orders can be appropriately carried out according to theproduct production capacity of the production source.

Preferably, the product ordering system as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprises suppliable quantity-setting means for setting a suppliablequantity of the products to be supplied during a unit time period,according to a product production capacity of the production source,cumulative order limitation quantity-calculating means for calculating acumulative order limitation quantity based on quantities of orderlimitations by which the orders have been limited by the orderquantity-limiting means, and delivery time-calculating means forcalculating a delivery time based on the suppliable quantity and thecumulative order limitation quantity, and the predetermined coefficientis set to a smaller value as the delivery time is longer.

The delivery time in this case is determined depending on the relativerelationship between the suppliable quantity of products dependent onthe product production capacity of the production source and thecumulative order limitation quantity of products by which the ordershave been limited. The longer the delivery time, the more contendingstatus between orders by the sales companies is indicated. Therefore,according to the present invention, the predetermined coefficient is setto a smaller value as the delivery time is longer, thereby settingseverer limitation on orders by the upper limit value, whereby it ispossible to properly prevent concentrated and unbalanced supply ofproducts to some of the dealers.

Preferably, in the product ordering system as claimed in claim 1, theordering means includes input means for inputting data concerningwhether or not buyers of the products are determined, and the cumulativeorder quantity-calculating means calculates the cumulative orderquantity by accumulating only quantities of orders whose buyers are notdetermined.

According to this construction, orders are placed in a state in whichcommissioned orders whose buyers are determined, and non-commissionedorders whose buyers are not determined are discriminated from eachother. The cumulative order quantity to be compared with the upper limitvalue is calculated only on the non-commissioned orders, and thequantity of commissioned orders is excluded from the cumulative orderquantity. More specifically, the commissioned orders whose buyers arealready determined are excluded from orders to be limited, topreferentially supply products for the commissioned orders, whereaslimitation is applied to non-commissioned or speculative orders. Thismakes it possible to properly supply products in order of prioritydetermined depending on whether or not orders are commissioned.

Preferably, in the product ordering system as claimed in claim 1, theordering means includes cancellation means for canceling orders, and thecumulative order quantity-calculating means calculates the cumulativeorder quantity by subtracting a cancellation quantity of the orderscanceled by the cancellation means from the order quantity.

According to this construction, when cancellation of orders occurs, thecumulative order quantity is calculated as a value obtained bysubtracting the cancellation quantity of the cancelled orders from theorder quantity, and compared with the upper limit value. This makes itpossible to properly limit orders, while flexibly coping with thecancellation of orders.

Preferably, in the product ordering system as claimed in claim 1, theupper limit value-setting means includes first storage means for storingthe set upper limit value, and the order quantity-limiting meansincludes second storage means, updating means for updating the upperlimit value by inputting the upper limit value stored in the firststorage means to the second storage means every predetermined updatingtime period, and comparison means for comparing the upper limit valuestored in the second storage means and the cumulative order quantitywith each other.

According to this construction, the upper limit value set by the upperlimit value-setting means is stored in the first storage means, updatedin the second storage means of the order quantity-limiting means everypredetermined updating time period, and compared with the cumulativeorder quantity. Thus, when the upper limit value is set by the upperlimit value-setting means, the upper limit value is not immediatelyupdated in the order quantity-limiting means, but updated everypredetermined updating time period. Therefore, by properly setting theupdating time period, it is possible to prevent the updating process forupdating the upper limit value, and the input process for inputting thecumulative order quantity or the comparison process for comparing thecumulative order quantity with the upper limit value from simultaneousoccurring with the order quantity-limiting means. As a result, even whena very large number of orders are placed by the sales companies, theinput process and the comparison process by the order quantity-limitingmeans can be smoothly carried out without being adversely affected bythe updating process for updating the upper limit value.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the inventionwill become more apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a product orderingsystem to which is applied the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the rest of theFIG. 1 product ordering system;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a limitation target table;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing three examples in a weekly basic tablefor limitation;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a ratio set depending on thenumber of to-be-supplied vehicles;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the ratio set depending on adelivery time;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a basic table using weeklybasic settings for limitation in combination with daily basic settings;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing examples of limitation vehicle number tablesformed based on (a) a single-month plan and (b) a multi-month plan;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of adjustment of limitationvehicle numbers by a head office;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of adjustment of limitationvehicle numbers by a regional management branch;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an order limitation process;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an order-filling statustable; and

FIG. 13 a diagram showing a method of reflecting cancelled orders on thelimitation vehicle number.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to thedrawings showing a preferred embodiment thereof. Referring first to FIG.1, there is shown the whole arrangement of a product ordering system forordering automotive vehicles, to which is applied the present invention.In the product ordering system (hereinafter simply referred to as the“system”) 1, business offices are divided into a large number of dealersfor selling automotive vehicles to general users, a corporate businessdepartment for selling automotive vehicles to major users (rental carcompanies, driving schools, and so forth) (hereinafter, both the dealersand the corporate business department are generically referred to as“sales companies” as deemed appropriate), regional management brancheseach for managing a plurality of dealers under jurisdiction thereof, ahead office as a production source for managing the regional managementbranches, the dealers, and the corporate business department, and asystem management section for managing the whole system. The businessoffices are connected on-line.

In the present system 1, a target door class-setting section 2 of thehead office performs setting of target door classes as a basic settingfor limitation for limiting orders for products (hereinafter simplyreferred to as “orders”) placed by the sales companies. The results ofthe setting operation are stored in a limitation target table (TBL) 3 ofthe system management section. FIG. 3 shows an example of the limitationtarget table of which setting items includes models, door classes,limitation numbers, and time periods (FROM DATE TO DATE) during whichorders placed by the sales companies are received. In this case, astargets of limitation, there are selected all models for which ordersplaced by the sales companies are expected to contend, particularly suchas new models and popular models.

The term “door class” is used to represent a type of products on whichproduction constraints are reflected. By classifying vehicles intodesired categories, such as a two-door type and a four-door type, inaddition to the illustrated classification of 2WD and 4WD, it ispossible to set a plurality of door classes for the same model. For theset door classes, respective limitation numbers for managing thelimitation for limiting orders are obtained. By setting the targets oflimitation not only according to models but also according to doorclasses as described above, it is possible to perform a fine andappropriate limitation. Further, door classes, such as the illustratedexample of one for physically handicapped persons, which are so small indemand that there is no possibility of orders placed by the salescompanies contending with each other, are excluded from the targets ofthe limitation, and no limitation numbers are obtained therefor.

In the head office, a weekly basic setting section 4 makes weekly basicsettings for limitation based on the above setting of target doorclasses, and a daily basic setting section 5 makes daily basic settingsas required. The results of the setting operation are stored in a weeklybasic table 6 of the system management section. FIG. 4 shows threeexamples in the weekly basic table. In a weekly calendar representing aparticular week (FROM DATE TO DATE) as shown in FIG. 4, a scheduled timeperiod (FROM MONTH TO MONTH) and ratios P (predetermined coefficient)are set.

The weekly calendar as a basis is formed by nighttime batch processing,on a limitation number-by-limitation number basis, by dividing time intoperiods of e.g. from Thursday to Wednesday. The ratios P can be set withrespect to a scheduled time period using either a single-month plan(first example) or a multi-month plan (second example). Further, it ispossible to specify the ratios P within a range of 1 to 9999%, as shownin a third example. In the illustrated examples, the ratios P are setfor affiliated groups 1 to 3 for sales (sales channels), on anaffiliated group-by-affiliated group basis, and for the corporatebusiness department, the ratio P is set separately from the affiliatedgroups. It should be noted that the ratio P can also be set not on anaffiliated group-by-affiliated group basis but on a dealer-by-dealerbasis.

The ratio P represents a ratio of an upper limit value of the number ofvehicles for which a sales company can place orders in a particularweek, to an estimated number of to-be-sold vehicles (estimated salesquantity) which the sales companies have set and registered in advancefor the scheduled time period. For instance, in the first example,assuming that a dealer A belonging to the affiliated group 1 hasregistered 100 vehicles as the estimated number of to-be-sold vehiclesfor May, a ratio of 10% provided for the affiliated group 1 is appliedthereto, whereby an upper limit value of the quantity of orders whichcan be placed by the dealer A in the particular week is limited to 100vehicles×10%=10 vehicles. It should be noted that the above estimatednumber of to-be-sold vehicles, set and registered to the scheduled timeperiod, is stored in a sales company schedule table 7 on a salescompany-by-sales company basis.

Further, the above ratios P are set on a limitation number-by-limitationnumber basis depending on the number PN of to-be-supplied vehicles(suppliable quantity) stored in a to-be-supplied vehicle number table 8,and delivery times DL stored in a delivery time table 9. The number PNof to-be-supplied vehicles is set according to the product productioncapacity of the production source, and represents the number of vehiclessuppliable during a unit time period. FIG. 5 shows an example of theratio P set depending on the number PN of to-be-supplied vehicles. Theratio P is set to a larger value as the number PN of to-be-suppliedvehicles is larger. By setting the ratio P as described above, thelimitation is relaxed as the product production capacity is larger, sothat the limitation can be properly effected depending on the productproduction capacity.

The delivery time DL is calculated based on the above number PN ofto-be-supplied vehicles, and a cumulative number of vehicles by whichorders have been limited as the results of the limitation, referred tohereinafter. As the delivery time DL is longer, it means that the moreserious contention exists between the orders placed by the salescompanies. FIG. 6 shows an example of the ratio P set depending on thedelivery time DL, in which the ratio P is set to a smaller value as thedelivery time DL is longer. If the ratio P is set as above, as thedelivery time DL becomes longer, in other words, as the contentionbetween orders placed by the sales companies is more serious, thelimitation becomes severer, which makes it possible to properly preventpartially concentrated and unbalanced supply of products to some of thedealers.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a basic table using the weekly basic settingsfor limitation in combination with the daily basic settings. In thisbasic table, the same weekly basic settings as those in the FIG. 4 firstexample are made, and the daily basic settings are applied to particulartwo days (MAY 9 (Thu) and 11 (Sat) in one week. According to thisexample, a daily ratio of 10% is applied e.g. to dealers belonging tothe affiliated group 2 for May 9 and May 11, while a weekly ratio of 20%is applied to the sum of the numbers of vehicles for which orders are tobe placed during the other 5 days of the week. According to the abovesettings, by applying daily settings to particular days, such as releasedates for new models, on which orders for the new models are expected toconcentrate, it is possible to briefly relax the limitation to therebyflexibly supply products to the dealers. Although in the exampleillustrated in FIG. 7, the daily ratios P are set to be equal to orsmaller than weekly ratios P, the daily ratios P can be set to be largerthan the weekly ratios P, since the daily basic settings are used incombination with the weekly basic settings with a view to the abovepurpose.

Further, limitation vehicle numbers LN are automatically calculated by acomputing section, not shown, within a limitation table 15, in responseto instructions from an automatic vehicle number allocation-instructingsection 10. In the above calculation, the limitation vehicle numbers LN,as upper limit values (upper limit values of the quantity of orderswhich can be accepted by the production source) of the number ofvehicles orders for which are to be received during a target week (andtarget dates) set in the weekly and daily basic settings, are calculatedfor each of the sales companies and at the same time for each of thetarget door classes. More specifically, the limitation vehicle numbersLN are automatically calculated based on the target door classes, theratios P, the estimated numbers of vehicles to be sold during ascheduled time period, all of which are set as above, as well as dataconcerning the sales companies, stored in a sales company site numbertable 11. The calculated limitation vehicle numbers LN are stored in alimitation vehicle number table 12.

Further, the limitation vehicle numbers LN stored in the limitationvehicle number table 12 are sent to first and second limitation ordermanagement vehicle number tables 15 and 20, by nighttime batchprocessing (JOB) every predetermined updating time period, e.g. onWednesday, which is the last day of a week, for update. As describedhereinafter, in the first limitation order management vehicle numbertable 15, order data are sequentially input from the sales companiesthrough on-line operations during the daytime, and counting processesand limitation processes are carried out thereon. Therefore, byproviding the limitation vehicle number table 12 and the firstlimitation order management vehicle number table 15 separately from eachother, and updating the limitation vehicle numbers LN by sending thesame from the former 12 to the latter 15 in the above-mentioned timing,it is possible to prevent the process for updating the limitationvehicle numbers LN from being carried out simultaneously with any of theprocesses for inputting order data, counting, and limitation, in thefirst limitation order management vehicle number table 15. As a result,even when a large amount of order data is sent from the sales companies,the processes in the first limitation order management vehicle numbertable 15 can be smoothly carried out without being adversely affected bythe updating process for updating the limitation vehicle numbers LN.

FIG. 8 provides examples of the above limitation vehicle number table.FIG. 8(a) shows an example of the weekly settings in which asingle-month plan is used for the scheduled time period with respect towhich the ratios P are set. In this example, the ratio P is set to 50%with respect to a scheduled time period (June) for all of salescompanies A to C. On the other hand, since the estimated number ofvehicles to be sold by the sales company A during the particularscheduled time period is 30 vehicles, the limitation vehicle number LNfor the sales company A during a particular week is calculated to 30vehicles×50%=15 vehicles. Similarly, in the following, since theestimated numbers of vehicles to be sold by the sales companies B and Cduring the particular week are 11 vehicles and 1 vehicle, respectively,the limitation vehicle numbers LN for the sales companies B and C arecalculated, respectively, to 11 vehicles×50%=5.5 vehicles, and 1vehicle×50%=0.5 vehicles. By rounding up the number(s) after decimalpoint, 6 vehicles and 1 vehicle are obtained as the limitation vehiclenumbers LN for the sales companies B and C.

Further, FIG. 8(b) shows an example of the weekly settings in which amulti-month plan is used for the scheduled time period with respect towhich the ratios P are set. In this case, respective totals of estimatednumbers of vehicles to be sold during a scheduled time period (June toAugust) by the sales companies A to C are multiplied by the ratio P(=20%) set with respect to the scheduled time period for the salescompanies A to C, whereby the respective limitation vehicle numbers LNfor the sales companies A to C during a particular week areautomatically calculated. Although not shown, when the limitation is setby daily settings, the limitation vehicle numbers LN are automaticallycalculated by using the ratios P of the daily settings, in the samemanner as described above.

It is possible to adjust the limitation vehicle numbers LN automaticallycalculated as described above (hereinafter, in the present section, thelimitation vehicle number LN will be referred to as “the automaticallyallocated vehicle number”). The adjustment of the vehicle numbersincludes adjustments by a region-specific vehicle number-adjustingsection 12 and a sales company-specific vehicle number-adjusting section13 of the head office, and an adjustment by a sales company-specificvehicle number-adjusting section 14 of each regional management branch.The adjustments by the head office are carried out on all the salescompanies, and as shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to freely adjust theautomatically allocated vehicle numbers allocated to the respectivesales companies without limiting the number of vehicles. Data of theadjusted number of vehicles are sent to the sales company-specificvehicle number-adjusting section 14 of a concerned regional managementbranch.

In contrast, the adjustment by each regional management branch iscarried out only on dealers under jurisdiction thereof. As shown in FIG.10, this adjustment is carried out by increasing or decreasing theautomatically allocated vehicle numbers (or the numbers of vehiclesadjusted by the head office) between the dealers under jurisdiction ofthe regional management branch, but it is not allowed to perform theadjustment such that the total sum of adjusted numbers exceeds the totalsum (23 vehicles in the illustrated example) of the automaticallyallocated vehicle numbers allocated to the dealers under jurisdiction ofthe regional management branch. When the automatically allocated vehiclenumbers are adjusted as above, the adjusted numbers of vehicles aredetermined as the final limitation vehicle numbers LN (upper limitvalue), and data of the adjusted number of vehicles are sent to thelimitation vehicle number table 12.

The placing and canceling of orders for products by the dealers and thecorporate business department is carried out by their order-inputtingsections 16 and order-canceling sections 17 through on-line operationsduring the daytime. It should be noted that when an order is placed orcancelled, information of whether or not the order is a commissioned onein which a buyer of the product is determined, is simultaneously input.After the order is input, data of the order is transmitted to the firstlimitation order management vehicle number table 15, where an orderlimitation process is executed by a computing section, not shown, of thetable. The order limitation process is carried out so as to allow orlimit the order based on the result of comparison between limitationvehicle numbers LN set as described above and the numbers of vehicles ofthe actual orders.

In the following, the order limitation process will be described withreference to FIG. 11. In this process, first, in a step 1 (in FIG. 1,shown as “S1”; which rule applies similarly in the followingdescription), it is determined whether or not the order is placed notwith the head office but with another corporate body (such as an orderfor supply of a vehicle from another regional management branch). If theanswer to this question is affirmative (YES), the order has no relationto supply of products from the head office, so that only the obtainingof an order number is carried out in a step 2, followed by terminatingthe present program.

If the answer to the question of the step 1 is affirmative (YES), i.e.when the order is placed with the head office, it is determined in astep 3 whether or not the ordered product is a target of limitation. Ifthe answer to this question is affirmative (YES), i.e. if the orderedproduct is a target of limitation for which a limitation number has beenobtained, it is determined in a step 4 whether or not the order is acommissioned one with a buyer. If the answer to this question isnegative (NO), i.e. when the order is a non-commissioned one (i.e.speculative order), that is, when no buyer of the ordered product isdetermined, it is determined in a step 5 whether or not an order countCN (cumulative order quantity accepted by the production source) ofordered products associated with the particular limitation number, whichhas been counted heretofore, has already reached a correspondinglimitation vehicle number LN.

If the answer to this question is negative (NO), i.e. when the ordercount CN has not reached the limitation vehicle number LN (CN<LN), it isjudged that the order should be allowed, and a value of 1 is added tothe order count CN, for counting in a step 6. Then, an order number isobtained for the order in a step 7. After the order number is obtained,if the production of the ordered product has been completed, in a step8, inventory reservation is carried out for the order number, whereaswhen a production plan of the product is definite, in a step 9, definiteplan reservation is carried out for the order number, followed byterminating the present program.

On the other hand, if the answer to the question of the step 5 isaffirmative (YES), i.e. when the order count CN has already reached thelimitation vehicle number LN (CN=LN), the order is rejected in a step 10(ENTRY NG). By carrying out the above processes, orders in excess of thelimitation vehicle number LN are limited on a limitationnumber-by-limitation number basis, i.e. on a target door class-by-targetdoor class basis. It should be noted that the number of orders rejectedfor the limitation as above are totalized, and transmitted to thedelivery time table 9 as a cumulative limitation order number.

On the other hand, if the answer to the question of the step 4 isaffirmative (YES), i.e. when the order is a commissioned one with abuyer of the ordered product being determined, the above step 5 and step6 are skipped over to the above step 7 et. seq., to carry out only theobtaining of an order number, and reservation therefor. Morespecifically, when the order is a commissioned one, the order is leftout of the limitation as well as from the order count CN. By carryingout the above processes, products are preferentially supplied forcommissioned orders whose buyers are already determined, while productsare supplied later for non-commissioned or speculative orders. Thismakes it possible to properly supply products in order of prioritydetermined depending on whether or not the orders are commissioned.

Order data input from the order-inputting section 16 of each salescompany are transmitted to an order database (DB) 19. Further, whenorders are cancelled by the order-canceling sections 17 of salescompanies, cancellation data of the cancelled orders are alsotransmitted to the order database 19. The order data and thecancellation data are totalized into the number of ordered vehicles andthe number of cancelled vehicles for the current business day, bynighttime batch processing after termination of on-line operationsduring the day, and transmitted to the second limitation ordermanagement vehicle number table 20.

FIG. 12 shows an order-filling status table stored in the secondlimitation order management vehicle number table 20. This table shows,in list form, limitation vehicle numbers LN, ordered and cancelledstates, numbers of orderable vehicles, and so forth, for a particularweek, on a sales company-by-sales company basis, and on a target doorclass-by-target door class basis. For example, in the example of thesales company B, the limitation vehicle number LN is 80, and the totalnumber of ordered vehicles up to the time point is 50 (commissioned: 30;and non-commissioned: 20). As described hereinbefore, since the vehiclesof the commissioned orders are excluded from the order count CN (onlythe vehicles of the non-commissioned orders are counted), in this case,the order count CN becomes equal to the total number of ordered vehiclesminus the number of vehicles of commissioned orders=50−30=20. Further,the number of vehicles of cancelled orders up to the time point is 10(commissioned: 0, non-commissioned: 10), and the number of vehicles ofthe cancelled non-commissioned orders is reflected on the number oforderable vehicles. Therefore, the number of orderable vehicles becomesequal to the limitation vehicle number LN minus the order count CN plusthe number of vehicles of the cancelled non-commissionedorders=80−20+10==70.

In contrast, in the example of the sales company A, only commissionedorders are cancelled, and the commissioned orders are originallyexcluded from the order count CN, and hence the number of vehicles ofthe cancelled commissioned orders is not reflected on the number oforderable vehicles. Therefore, the number of orderable vehicles in thiscase becomes equal to LN−CN=80−60=20. The order-filling status tablehaving the above contents can be fetched from the second limitationorder management vehicle number table 20 to a sales company-by-salescompany processing condition-referring section 21 of each businessoffice, for display. In each business office, by viewing the display, itis possible to easily know the number of orderable vehicles at the timepoint. In this case, the displayed contents can be changed depending oneach business office. For example, the head office can display dataconcerning all the sales companies, the regional management branch candisplay data only of dealers under jurisdiction thereof, and the dealersand the corporate business department can display data only of theparticular business office.

FIG. 13 shows a method of reflecting orders and cancellations onlimitation vehicle numbers LN. As described above, order data andcancellation data from each sales company are input by daytime on-lineoperations, and sequentially transmitted to the order database 19. Theorder data and the cancellation data are totalized into the numbers ofordered vehicles and the numbers of cancelled vehicles for the currentbusiness day, by nighttime batch processing after termination of on-lineoperations during the day, and transmitted to the second limitationorder management vehicle number table 20. Thus, it is possible toreflect orders cancelled on the preceding day on limitation vehiclenumbers LN on the day next to the preceding day. It should be noted thatin the illustrated example, Sunday is a day when nighttime batchprocessing is not carried out, and therefore, orders cancelled on Sundayare processed together with orders cancelled on Monday by nighttimebatch processing on Monday, for reflection on limitation vehicle numbersLN on Tuesday. Further, orders cancelled on Wednesday, i.e. the last dayof the week, are not reflected on limitation vehicle numbers LN nextweek.

Further, limitation vehicle numbers LNn+1 to be used next week (N+1week) are shifted as limitation vehicle numbers LNn used in the currentweek during execution of nighttime batch processing on Wednesday, in thesecond limitation order management vehicle number table 20, for update,and at the same time, data of limitation vehicle numbers LN of thelatest two weeks are transmitted from the limitation vehicle numbertable 12 to the second limitation order management vehicle number table20. Although in the above-described embodiment, the first and secondlimitation order management vehicle number tables 15 and 20 aredescribed as tables separate from each other, the two tables can beformed by one table.

Industrial Applicability

As described hereinbefore, the product ordering system according to thepresent invention is capable of properly limiting orders placed bydealers, without inhibiting the dealers' willingness to sell, whilepreventing partially concentrated supply of products to some of thedealers. This makes it possible to make uniform and shorten the deliverytimes for the dealers as a whole. Therefore, the product ordering systemaccording to the present invention can be suitably used in placingorders for products in all industrial fields to say nothing of the fieldof automotive vehicles exemplified in the embodiment.

1. A product ordering system for supplying products from a productionsource to a plurality of dealers in response to orders requesting supplyof the products, which are placed by the plurality of dealers, accordingto an order in which the orders are placed, comprising: estimated salesquantity-setting means for setting in advance an estimated salesquantity of the products to be sold during a predetermined time period,for each of the dealers; upper limit value-setting means for setting anupper limit value of an order quantity during the predetermined timeperiod, for each of the dealers, according to the set estimated salesquantity and a predetermined coefficient; ordering means for placing theorders for the products from the plurality of dealers with theproduction source; cumulative order quantity-calculating means forcalculating a cumulative order quantity during the predetermined timeperiod, for each of the dealers, based on the orders placed by saidordering means; and order quantity-limiting means for limiting ordersfor the products in excess of the limit value by the dealer, bycomparing the calculated cumulative order quantity and the upper limitvalue with each other.
 2. A product ordering system as claimed in claim1, wherein said upper limit value-setting means sets the upper limitvalue as an upper limit value for a second predetermined time periodwithin the predetermined time period, said second predetermined timeperiod being shorter than the predetermined time period, and whereinsaid cumulative order quantity-calculating means calculates a cumulativeorder quantity during the second predetermined time period, and whereinsaid order quantity-limiting means limits orders for the products inexcess of the limit value during the second predetermined time period.3. A product ordering system as claimed in claim 1, further comprisingproduct information-storing means for storing information concerningtypes of products, and wherein the predetermined coefficient is set foreach of the stored types of products.
 4. A product ordering system asclaimed in claim 1, further comprising suppliable quantity-setting meansfor setting a suppliable quantity of the products to be supplied duringa unit time period, according to a product production capacity of theproduction source, and wherein the predetermined coefficient is set to alarger value as the set suppliable quantity is larger.
 5. A productordering system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: suppliablequantity-setting means for setting a suppliable quantity of the productsto be supplied during a unit time period, according to a productproduction capacity of the production source, cumulative orderlimitation quantity-calculating means for calculating a cumulative orderlimitation quantity based on quantities of order limitations by whichthe orders have been limited by said order quantity-limiting means, anddelivery time-calculating means for calculating a delivery time based onthe suppliable quantity and the cumulative order limitation quantity,and wherein the predetermined coefficient is set to a smaller value asthe delivery time is longer.
 6. A product ordering system as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said ordering means includes input means for inputtingdata concerning whether or not buyers of the products are determined,and wherein said cumulative order quantity-calculating means calculatesthe cumulative order quantity by accumulating only quantities of orderswhose buyers are not determined.
 7. A product ordering system as claimedin claim 1, wherein said ordering means includes cancellation means forcanceling orders, and wherein said cumulative order quantity-calculatingmeans calculates the cumulative order quantity by subtracting acancellation quantity of the orders canceled by said cancellation meansfrom the order quantity.
 8. A product ordering system as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said upper limit value-setting means includes firststorage means for storing the set upper limit value, and wherein saidorder quantity-limiting means includes: second storage means, updatingmeans for updating the upper limit value by inputting the upper limitvalue stored in said first storage means to said second storage meansevery predetermined updating time period, and comparison means forcomparing the upper limit value stored in said second storage means andthe cumulative order quantity with each other.